Return of the Dragons
by TimeShard13
Summary: Imagined scenario assuming R L J. AU after the Red Wedding. A what-if based on Daenerys coming to Westeros and winning the Iron Throne, believing Jon to be the rightful heir. This started with an idea I had of Robb and maybe Catelyn being alive getting free from Freys only to find Targaryens, and Jon specifically on the throne. Of course they're a bit confused. All stark kids alive
1. Chapter 1

**Important Note:**

For the most part this story holds true with the novels up through about the Red Wedding in book three. There won't be spoilers for anything after A Storm of Swords because I haven't started the fourth book myself yet. The time line is going to be skewed a little to make my story work. Please just go with it. I've tried to explain things but if any parts are confusing let me know. One thing, Daenerys doesn't have the Unsullied. I tried writing them in but couldn't make it fit. She travelled to Westeros with only the remainder of Drogo's khalasar.

Robb and Jon: 17

Daenerys: 16

Sansa: 14

Arya: 12

Bran: 10

Rickon: 6

**Chapter 1: Dragon's on the Iron Throne Once More**

Jon Snow knelt on the hard stone floor of the Great Hall in King's Landing. There was not a large gathering of people, only the Queen's most trusted. Jon thought that was well enough, seeing as the large black dragon took up a significant amount of room as it was.

"Jon Snow," He lifted his gaze to meet the violet eyes of the young Targaryen Queen who was seated in the Iron Throne. "I, Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, with these courtiers as witness, pronounce you to be Jon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar Targaryen and rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Arise."

And so the boy who was a bastard no longer did, and even the Mother of Dragons bowed her head. Jon's face remained impassive as the people in the room dispersed until only he and Daenerys remained. He waited, silent.

"The House of Baratheon has been eliminated." Jon gave a small nod. He had witnessed Drogon killing Stannis Baratheon himself. "The Lannisters no longer present a threat either." Again Jon nodded. Lord Tywin and his daughter Cersei had both taken death rather than bending their knees to the new Targaryen rule. Tywin's brother, Kevan was a more sensible man. Daenerys had been merciful and sent him to the Wall. The children, including Cersei's two living children, had all been taken in as wards by families loyal to the throne. That had only left Jaime and Tyrion to deal with, though their fates were more difficult to determine. Dany had been for killing the both of them but Jon had had a soft spot for the dwarf since their journey to the Wall. In the end it had been decided to send them both to Casterly Rock, on the condition that they loyally serve the Targaryens for the rest of their lives.

"Dorne already fought with us against usurpers and traitors and the Tyrells and many others turned against the Lannisters and Baratheon's once they realized which the winning side was. With their support and lack of any other claimants to the throne, almost all of Westeros is once more under the rule of Targaryens. You can see what that leaves, Your Grace."

Jon felt a twinge of anger at that. She called him 'Your Grace' but they both knew who held the real power. He answered warily. "The North, m'lady, and the Riverlands, though I shouldn't have to remind you that they fought against the Lannisters as well."

"Precisely." Daenerys sat up straighter in the throne. "helping win the war against the Lannisters is not the same as supporting the Targaryens. They declared their own King, why should they kneel to us now? The Riverlands side with the North and the North will fall when the Starks do. I say we execute them. For all their honor let us not forget who aided the Usurper in his quest for the throne, dear nephew." She paused, looking for Jon's reaction.

He stiffened as he thought of the people he had called his family. Only the four youngest still remained. Sansa, who had been freed from the Petyr Baelish when Daenerys descended on the Vale. Arya who had doggedly made her way North until she reached the in-repair ruins of Winterfell. Bran who had returned from beyond the Wall with Hodor and the Reed siblings. And lastly little Rickon whom could only be controlled by the wilding woman Osha.

"What ever the part Lord Eddard Stark played in the Robert's Rebellion and after, he is dead. Along with his wife and his eldest son. All that remain of the Starks are four children, the eldest of which is only fourteen. They had nothing to do with the greivous wrongs done to the Targaryens."

"You would have me spare them when Rhaegar's own children, your brother and sister, were brutally murdered?" Daenerys' voice began to rise and Jon knew he needed to choose his words carefully.

"M'lady, I know the fate of the Targaryens but Lord Stark had nothing to do with the deaths of the innocent children. Call him a fool and a usurper if you will, but Eddard was nothing if not honorable. When the Usurper called for yours and your brother's heads', Stark, the king's own hand, opposed him at risk of treason. I need not remind you that it was Lord Stark who found me, who took me in and raised me as his own son. He hid me from certain death at the hands of his best friend, knowing full well the risks he put on his own wife and son." Jon spared a glance at the Queen and was dismayed to see her face stonier then usual.

"Please, Lord Stark saved my life, I owe it to him to look after his children. I beg of you, there are other ways to guarantee the support of the North beyond killing the last of the Starks."

Jon saw Daenerys gaze grow more interested, though he wasn't sure that was a relief. "It would almost seem that you preferred being the bastard of Eddard Stark to being the heir of the Targaryens." Jon knew enough not to rise at her thinly veiled jibe. She sighed and leaned forward. "Tell me then, Your Grace, how would you deal with the Starks."

Jon didn't hesitate. "Robb Stark declared me his heir and the northern lords will honor that. I am King in the North and Lord of Winterfell, however I cannot be in King's Landing and Winterfell at once. Let Bran act as steward of Winterfell in my absence. The North would never betray the Starks and the Starks consider me family."

Daenerys didn't react for a long moment and Jon began to grow nervous. When she spoke however, she said only, "I would rather the girl. I will not have a warg, a greenseer, or whatever that child is in charge of the North. He would be unpredictable at best and he unnerves Drogon besides."

Jon bowed his head. "Sansa then. As the eldest it could be said Winterfell is her birthright, despite her sex." If anything, Jon thought Sansa to be the more formidable foe of the two. She had survived in King's Landing for years on her own which was no small feat. He said nothing on that matter, though, watching as the Queen of Westeros in all but name mulled over this new option.

"I am sure," She said slowly, "that it has not escaped your notice that I have no true claim to the throne as long as you are alive." Jon didn't respond. "Between the two of us, you would be guaranteed the support of the North as a Stark and the support of Dorne as Rhaegar's true son. Even the other Houses and the small people, though they will not admit it, would rather see a man raised by the honorable Ned Stark as ruler of the seven kingdoms rather than an outsider from the East. I have few soldiers and a dragon can only do so much."

Jon's eyes narrowed. "With all due respect, M'lady, I believe the fear and destruction a dragon can bring far out weighs any advantage I may have. You also forget that I have never desired a throne, not in the North and certainly not in this gods forsaken city. Ask of me what you will, but do not make yourself out to be the weaker party."

Daenerys smiled at that, as he had known she would. "Very well, Jon. These are my conditions. I will let your precious Starks live only because you ask it of me. You are a Targaryen and family, whether you like it or not. However, you shall name me your Queen. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly." And he did. In return for the lives of the children he had once thought siblings, Jon Snow would become Jon Targaryen for good, hostage to the Queen of Westeros. Through him she would have control of the North and her goals of conquest would be complete.

* * *

><p>I'm afraid Daenerys came off as a bit unlikeableharsh in this, but her entire life she has been struggling to obtain the throne which she sees as her birth right. Also, she doesn't strike me as a person to forgive her enemies easily, especially those who have committed such atrocious crimes against her family. Also this is from Jon's view more or less and he has no particular love for her at the moment.

More will be revealed next chapter. Please R+R :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The True Heir**

Jon had been sitting in his cold room in Castle Black brushing Ghost when Samwell Tarly gave him the letter telling of Robb's death and the massacre at the Red Wedding. He had found himself in a similar position a month later when Sam gave him a letter from Lord Edmure Tully of Riverrun saying that before he died Robb had named Jon his heir. The raven had in fact come much sooner than that, but in the chaos that was the Wall at the time the letter had gotten pushed aside and forgotten.

If he had gotten the letter sooner, Jon would have called them all crazy. A bastard son of a dead man named the King in the North by a self-proclaimed king. But after the events of the previous month Jon had lost most of his capacity to be shocked. Through an alliance with the wildings, tenuous at best, and the magic of the Wall, the Others had been driven back. The problem of what to do with the free people still remained but for the moment they had seemed content to stay in the North and obey its laws as long as they didn't have to kneel to its Lords.

Representatives from the northern lords had arrived soon after, looking for their new king. Jon had refused them at first, claiming as a bastard he had no right to rule and as a man he had no desire to do so. Though he didn't admit it, he couldn't help thinking of Lady Catelyn as well. He knew she had always had a fear, no matter how small, that her husband's bastard would take what was rightfully her children's. And yet, here he was, not even Lord Stark's bastard anymore, taking what was rightfully Bran's or even Sansa's. However, without a leader or at least someone to rally under, the North was crumbling and the soldiers grew desperate. Lannister armies marched on Riverrun and Boltons were running amuck in Winterfell and Harrenhall both. Someone had to unite the banner men and keep them from dispersing and like it or not, Jon had been chosen for the job. And so the North had fought. Clumsily, at first. Being Lord Commander of the Wall was nothing compared to commanding all the Northern armies as well as working with the Tullys.

'And look what I've gotten them now." Jon thought, sitting beneath the weirwood, his direwolf beside him. 'Life, certainly, maybe even revenge against the Lannisters, but not the freedom they had wanted.' The North, however unwillingly, had bent its knees to the Iron Throne once more and Jon was responsible for that. 'Still,' he supposed, 'anything is better than death.' Though Jon couldn't help but think that for all he knew, the Targaryen girl could be as mad as her father and brother had been.

If it came to that, though, Jon swore he would be ready. The kingdom was in ruins as it was. It would not be able to withstand any more civil wars. At the moment, despite his crown and influence in the North, Jon held little power in King's Landing itself. He'd be the first to admit that he knew no more of this game of thrones than Eddard Stark had and was like as not to meet the same fate. He wanted nothing more than to return to Winterfell, maybe become a banner man as he has imagined as a child. But first he had to gain the trust of this Daenerys Targaryen and her court, be them allies or enemies. Jon smiled at that. Apparently he was meant to play the part of turncloak. First he had been a Crow turned wildling, and now a Stark turned Targaryen.

Jon stood. Daenerys would be expecting him for dinner and appearances must be kept up. For now he would do what he had done before. Join the enemy. Watch them, learn from them, gain their trust. If Dany could learn to play this twisted game than so could he. And if the Mother of Dragons turned out to care for her people as much as she claimed to, then all the better. But if not, Jon had learned that it was always best to be ready for the worst.

In with the new, out with the old. That seemed to be Daenerys Targaryen's aim at the moment. Jon may not have known the men on Robert Baratheon's council, but he was sure none of them were dining with the Targaryens that night. The Queen, for though they had not been wed everyone called her the Queen, sat at the head of the table with Jon to her right and Barristan Selmy to her left. With Daenerys deep in conversation with the old knight, Jon was free to gauge the Queen's followers, many of whom he had not met in person yet. Her Dothraki Queensguard stood behind her, against the far wall of the room. There was a scattering of Unsullied on the other walls and in front of the entryways. Though vastly different, Jon got the same impression from them. Intimidating and deadly, yes, but loyal to a fault. More like sheep, he mused, than sellswords.

The rest of her company, seated around the table, was less impressive. Some wore armor, some dresses, and some were garbed in exotic fabrics from the east, but all chatted merrily while politely picking at the food before them. Despite the much less extravagant spread, Jon couldn't help but think of Baratheon's horde feasting at Winterfell. This time, however, he had not been left in the cold.

"And when is this wedding of yours to be, your Grace?" Jon looked round, startled to see a man clothed entirely in yellow down to his beard looking at him intently.

"My lady wishes to wait until King's Landing is in a better state, Ser." Jon repeated what Daenerys had said to him a day earlier. "She says that the wealthy should not feast while the small folk starve."

The man eyed him and Jon hid his nerves. This man was one of the Queen's and many of them bore no love for Jon. "And when might that be your Grace?" His voice was mocking.

"No more than three or four moons, Daario. I've seen to it that the local lords are helping rebuild farmlands and shipments of supplies are due in from the east. With the help of my Unsullied it shouldn't take longer than that to get the city presentable again." The man, Daario, nodded looking embarrassed at having been overheard by his Queen.

Daenerys turned to Jon. "We need to speak."

"M'lady?" She shook her head.

"Not here. I've received reports from the North that you know about but I see no point in troubling the others."

"As you wish."

They did not speak for the rest of the meal and retired to the Queen's suit in silence.

"They are well?" Jon questioned as soon as they were seated at the desk.

"If you mean your cousins, then yes. They do as well as can be expected. I hear Sansa makes a striking lady and seems to be well loved. Rickon and Arya however, are much less suited to politics. I believe we can agree on that."

Jon nodded. "And Bran, how fares he, with his ailment and all?"

Dany pursed her lips, looking at a piece of parchment. "It says he has gone back to the Wall, or what's left of it. He travels with his wolf and the crannogmen. I should have liked him to stay at Winterfell where he could have been watched."

Jon smiled. "The Starks are willful folk. If Bran feels he belongs beyond the Wall then there's no stopping him." His smiled faded. "But it isn't gossip about my cousins that concerns you, is it my lady?"

"No." Daenerys watched him carefully. "It would seem that the Northern lords have no intention of recognizing you as Lord of Winterfell. They believe the lives of the four remaining Stark children render Robb's declaration of you as his heir unnecessary." Jon's blank expression did not change and Dany narrowed her eyes. "But you knew they wouldn't."

Jon leaned back with a small sigh. "I was raised as the bastard of Winterfell. The North has never recognized me as a Stark, why should they now especially when I bare the sigil of the three headed dragon?"

"I had hoped Sansa's presence might have tempered their anger against the new Targaryens."

"Sansa never bore me any particular affection and if you'll pardon my saying, she is a girl and a young one at that. I imagine she's hard pressed to keep all of her lords in order. Winterfell is in shambles. Very few if any of its advisors and caretakers are the same as when I was growing up their. Sansa Stark is very much alone and there is no one to stop the suitors which will inevitably come. Loyal as they may be, the Northern lords are just as ambitious as any others. Sansa will be pushed to wed and Winterfell with have a new lord."

Daenerys nodded. "And that, nephew, is my real concern. Disgruntled lords at the edge of my realm pose no immediate threat. The Tyrells, however, do. It would seem that Mace Tyrell is pushing his son Loras to wed the Lady Stark and I fear their intentions are less than honorable."

"You think they want the North."

"I think they want King's Landing."

"Sansa would accept." Jon looked Daenerys in the eye. "That is why you're telling me this, is it not? In my opinion, from what limited knowledge I have of my cousin, she will accept. Not because she wishes it, Sansa grew out of any romantic fantasies years ago, but because she must wed and the Tyrells would make better allies than enemies. Especially with the North in such a tender state."

Daenerys said nothing for a long moment and when she did it was with a sudden confidence. "We are not wed, but I am the Queen."

"Yes." There was no doubt to that.

"Every ruler, be them king queen or lord, needs and heir."

"Yes."

The Queen's voice softened. "Did you know, Jon, that I can bare no children?"

Jon's surprised must have showed for Daenerys gave a small smile. "I had thought not."

Again she fell silent. Jon was about to ask what this meant for their future when she spoke abruptly.

"Did you know that Dornish men often took multiple wives?"

Jon stiffened. "I was under the impression we were Targaryen, not Dornish."

"A good thing we are not married yet. Either way, there is an obvious solution."

Jon did not reply.

* * *

><p>I've been giving this last bit a lot of thought and I'm still not quite sure how to go with the Dany-needs-an-heir and Jon-Sansa thing yet. Any preferences would be greatly appreciated. Also, the next chapter should be Robb. I'm thinking of including Catelyn as well because obviously she and Robb would view Jon and the Targaryens differently, Cat having actually known latter.<p> 


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